> actually enjoy the game, or have an unsatiable (fear-driven?) need for status, or something else of this sort
Ie. Somewhat serious mental disorders as requisite for leadership.
I wonder how we got onto this darkest timeline?
Humans were like this since the inception of times. Chieftains, Khans, Czars, Kings, etc.
Evolution. It is a brutal process.
If it's adaptive it's not a disorder.